Floor clamp



R. E. MORGAN Nov. 27, 1923.

FLO-OR CLAMP Filed Oct. 50, 1922 ATI'ORNEY Patented Nov 27, 1923.

PATENT OFFIE.

RICHARD MORGAN, ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

ZELOOR CLAMP.

Application filed October 30, 1922.

To all who??? it may concern:

Be it known that l, RICHARD E. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Orlando. in the county of Orange and State of Florida. haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Floor Clamps, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to lever devices for forcing together floorboards to close up cracks there'between and has for its object theprovision of a novel floor clamp which will carry out this purpose in asimple and rapid manner.

An important object is the provision of a device of this character whichwill he inexpensive to manufacture, easy to apply and use, a great timeand labor saver and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view the inventionconsists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, The remaining figures aredetail views.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I have shown my device ascomprising a pair of elongated bars 10 and 11 which are arranged in endto end relation and pivotally or hingedly connected as shown at 12. Onebar has its free end carrying a plurality of prongs 13 while the freeend of the other "bar is notched as shown at 14c for the accommodationof the tongue on the edge of the endmost one of a series of floor boardsto be pressed together. This same end of the bar 11 is formed with aslot 15 which will permit nailing without removing the device.

Mounted upon the bar 10 is a staple 16 with which is engageable a hook17 on the end of a lever 18 which is engage-able with the pivotalconnection of the bars 10 and 11 for applying pressure thereto.

In the use of the device the prongs 13 are engaged with the subfioor Awhile the notched end 14; of the bar 11 is engaged with the edge of theendmost one of the floor boards B to be pressed together. The point atwhich the prongs 13 are engaged with Serial No. 597,926.

the subfloor should be such that when the device is engaged with thelloor board the bars 10 and 11 will extend upwardly at an obtuse angleto each other as shown in the drawing. The operator then engages thehook 17 in the staple 16, swings the lever 18 on to the pivot connection12 and then presses upon the lever with one foot. The result is that thebars 10 and 11 tend to straighten out and this of course results in theapplication of powerful pressure to the floor boards which will serve toforce them together and take up any looseness so that cracks will beeliminated.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right tomake such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts aswill not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A floor clamp of the character described, comprising a pair ofhingedly connected bars, one bar terminating in penetrating prongs andthe other being formed for engagement with an edge of a floor board, astaple member rising from one bar, and a lever having one end hooked anddetachably engaged with said staple, the lever engaging upon the hingeconnection of the bars whereby upon the exertion of downward pressureupon the lever the bars will be forced into the same plane.

2. A fioor clamp of the character described comprising a pair ofhingedly connected bars, one bar having its free end pro vided withprongs, the other bar having its free end formed with a notch for the accommodation of the tongue on the edge of a floor board, and lever meansfor forcing said bars into straightened out position, consisting of alever carrying a hook, and a retaining member on one bar engageable bythe hook whereby the lever may be engaged against said pivot connectionand pressed to force the bars into the same plane.

In testimony whereof I afiiix my signature.

RIOHARD E. MORGAN.

